NAACP staff members sent out many letters like this one to Margaret T. Tjader,
in which they hoped to gain monetary support to fund the campaign to have the
Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill become law. Financial support for the Dyer Anti-Lynching
Bill was crucial to pay for publicity materials, and legal and political campaigns
(see Document 14). Without monetary support, the Dyer
Bill would never become law. As this document indicates, the NAACP supported
the fundraising efforts of the Anti-Lynching Crusaders.

October 17, 1922

My dear Mrs. Tjader:

Although it has been quite ten years since I first tried to interest you in the work of our Association, I have not yet given up hope that at some time you will find it convenient to at least sandwich our cause in among you many calls for moral and financial support.

I am sure you already know a great deal about the accomplishments of the N.A.A.C.P. during the twelve years of its existence, through the press and otherwise.

One of our greatest achievements up to the present is to have gotten the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill through the House of Representatives and on the floor of the Senate. We are expecting the Bill to be taken up and brought to a vote in the special session of Congress which reports from Washington say will be called for November 20.

In order to put through this Bill, the women of the country have formed the Anti-Lynching Crusaders – a Million Women to Suppress Lynching. It is the aim of the Crusaders to raise $1,000,000 by December 31 of this year. This, you see, is not such a big job if we can get 1,000,000 women to give $1.00 each – and of course, many women will give a great deal more.

I am writing to ask if you yet find it possible to make a small contribution to this particular campaign. At any rate, I shall be delighted to get a line from you, because I always remember with so much pleasure how much I enjoyed working with you several years ago.

I hope some time that I may see you again when I might talk with you personally about this work which lies so close to my heart.